Monrovia – Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah has condemned the Liberian government over what he described as his “unlawful arrest and detention,” along with that of several other senior officials from the administration of former President George Weah.
By Selma Lomax | [email protected]
The former foreign minister’s criticism follows corruption charges brought against him and others by the Ministry of Justice and the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, which he argues are politically motivated.
Kemayah, who spoke to reporters on Thursday following his release from the Monrovia Central Prison, accused President Joseph Boakai’s administration of weaponizing the justice system to go after political opponents under the pretext of anti-corruption.
He maintained that the charges leveled against him are baseless and aimed at tarnishing his reputation and weakening opposition figures aligned with the previous government.
“As a law-abiding citizen, as one of the political leaders in our country, adherence to the rule of law is key for us,” Kemayah said. “There is no way that we can be advocating for the rule of law and then run away from processes tied to it. We don’t have a problem facing justice; we just call for impartiality. Certainly, it is a political witch-hunt. We will come out more strengthened, more resolved, in terms of our determination to redeem this country.”
Kemayah is one of over a dozen former officials who have been indicted by Special Grand Jurors of Montserrado County for their alleged role in the mismanagement of a humanitarian donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The donation, made in 2023 through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, included 29,412 bags of rice intended for disaster victims across Liberia. Valued at over US$425,918, the rice was meant to support vulnerable communities affected by floods, fire outbreaks, and other natural disasters.
However, according to the indictment filed at Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, 25,054 of those bags were allegedly diverted by former officials for unauthorized purposes. The indictment claims that instead of being distributed to intended beneficiaries, the rice was unlawfully repurposed, with no records of end-user receipts or audit trails.
The court documents accuse the officials of colluding and scheming to interfere with the lawful distribution of the rice, depriving needy citizens and the state of the aid’s intended use.
Named in the sweeping indictment are several prominent figures from the former government, including former Minister of Internal Affairs Varney Sirleaf, former General Services Agency Director-General Mary T. Broh, former Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Henry O. Williams, former Deputy Foreign Minister for Administration Thelma Duncan Sawyer, and multiple senior officials from the NDMA and the GSA.
The prosecution alleges that between February 21 and April 2025, the indicted individuals were summoned by the Assets Recovery Task Force and subjected to interrogation. They were reportedly informed of their constitutional rights, represented by legal counsel throughout the process, and formally charged with a range of offenses including theft of property, economic sabotage, criminal conspiracy, misapplication of entrusted property, and misuse of public money and records.
A writ of arrest issued by Criminal Court “C” on June 25, 2025, and signed by Clerk of Court Knowles W. Shain, authorized law enforcement officers to apprehend the defendants and bring them before the court for trial. The document instructed that an official return be made on the execution of the writ.
The indictment further alleges that the accused officials, while in public service, failed to maintain legal documentation explaining their handling of the donated rice and, in some cases, directly facilitated its transfer to unknown individuals and locations.
The alleged misappropriation, the government argues, reflects a gross abuse of office and is a breach of public trust. The case has been brought under various provisions of Liberia’s penal code relating to corruption, including sections covering theft, sabotage, and misuse of government property.
Reacting to the allegations, Kemayah insisted on his innocence and questioned the credibility and fairness of the process. “There is no fear when you know your hands are clean,” he said. “All we ask for is an impartial and professional judicial process. We will go through it and come out vindicated.”
Public concern over the arrests has been mounting amid widespread reports of procedural missteps. Legal counsels for the detained officials, including former Associate Justice Kabineh Ja’neh and renowned rights lawyer Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull, were reportedly denied access to their clients for several hours following their detention, sparking allegations of violations of due process. Notably, Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi County, who accompanied the legal team to the prison, was reportedly turned away at the gate, further fueling public anxiety.
Sources close to the judiciary say the accused were taken to prison before the presiding judge of Criminal Court “C” had signed their commitment orders, a move legal analysts describe as a serious procedural breach. Legal commentators have argued that such actions risk undermining public confidence in the justice system, regardless of the merits of the case.
The case has become a flashpoint in the debate over President Boakai’s flagship anti-corruption initiative, known as the “ARREST” agenda – an acronym for Assets Recovery, Restitution, Security, and Transparency.
While the administration maintains that its campaign is grounded in findings from forensic audits conducted by the General Auditing Commission, critics argue that the selective targeting of officials from the Weah-era administration casts a political shadow over what was promised to be a credible accountability process.
The Ministry of Justice has not yet responded to the growing criticism, but insiders within the administration suggest that President Boakai remains firm on his mandate to root out corruption and reclaim stolen assets.
The administration’s supporters say the charges are based on verifiable evidence uncovered during official audits, and that no one is above the law, regardless of their political affiliation or prior position in government.
If convicted, the accused officials face potentially lengthy prison terms, fines, and the seizure of properties under Liberia’s anti-corruption and penal statutes. The case will be heard by Judge Joe S. Barkon during the current May Term of Court at Criminal Court “C”. Defense lawyers for the accused are reportedly preparing an aggressive legal response, arguing that the case is being driven more by political calculations than legal merits.
